I love reading middle grade when I'm craving something fast and fun, but this one didn't do it for me. I usually love a magical school setting, and I liked the idea of the Arcanum. It seemed so diverse and all the different marvels were interesting to read about. Did it feel a bit Harry Potter-ish? Yes, but I feel like that's par for the course when it comes to this trope. My main issue with this was that I was bored. I didn't feel like the world, or even the characters, were that fleshed out. I felt like a lot of information was given, but never actually explained. I also found the writing a little too juvenile at times. I get that this is a middle grade, but it felt unnecessarily repetitive and childish. I think that the premise of this book was solid, but the execution needed some polish. I'm a bit bummed because I wanted to like this so much, but it missed the mark.